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If you know you're a bad housekeeper; how do you change?

Once upon a time it was all clean. Then somehow it got out of control. How do you know where to start to get it clean again and once it's clean, how to you make yourself keep it clean when it seems to get totally out of hand in a matter of days?

When my kids were small I had a terrible time, I felt overwhelmed with the kids and the housework, my husband worked so many hours he couldn't really help. I did get better, and people who know me now don't believe my house used to be a mess.

I just started slowly....I'd work on one room at a time, making sure the floor was picked up, then a table or other surface. I also started getting rid of things we didn't need.....broken toys, toys the kids outgrew, clothes the kids outgrew, magazines, anything we didn't really need. Several times a week I'd take a trash bag and walk through the house finding anything that could go into it and straight out to the trash or recycling.

I didn't do it all at once, but eventually, it became a habit. I'm no longer a pack rat, I like things in their place, and people can drop by my house now and I'm not embarrassed. People who knew me years ago are sometimes surprised.....good luck!

Any time I realize that there's something to be done, I've begun to discipline myself to do it when I think of it. I have noticed that at the end of the day, if I remember to do something I wouldn't normally have remembered or thought about, I rejoice in it, and treat myself to some ice cream or chocolate covered peanuts! ; )

Over the last couple of years, I've become obsessive about keeping my house clean. My rules are that it's always company ready in 5 minutes, and nothing is to be put on the floors, counters, dressers, or kitchen table. These are not dumping grounds! Once you have that rule that nothing is to get stuck where it doesn't belong, people take the extra two seconds to put things away where they belong. All the toys must be picked up before school and before bed, so no clutter is left out. I also make a list for myself every morning, and I make sure the list is finished by the end of the day, even if the list for the day sucks. If I feel like doing nothing, I make sure to put the most basic stuff on the list like "shower" or "make lunch" because if I'm crossing stuff off the list - even if it's stuff that would get done regardless - I feel like I'm making progress and I keep going.

Always put dishes in dishwasher regardless of what. DOn't ever leave dirty dishes out. Make sure disposables are taken out and trash is taken out. We use laundry bins sorted out by color and towels. The bills being shreded is my biggest chore. I hate it...But I'd rather do that than have identity theft.

Make a schedule. Do one room a day, and toss in one load of laundry a day. It helps, within two weeks, to put you in a place where you are not so overwhelmed. I find that when I make the one room a habit, and do the laundry, the house starts to come together, and I can do things like tackle the hell hall closet, and the shoes under the bench.

That, and make the kids help you at the end of the day. Make them pick up their mess. I am constantly astounded at how quickly they can trash the place.

Well. I was never clean my child year. Then it just got worse as I was an adult. My excuse was that I didn't have the time but all I was doing was playing on the internet. Friends would come over I would be embarassed. More time went by then I couldn't stand it! Now I have OCD because of it O.o; drives my husband nuts. The best advice I have for you start with one area at a time. like organized the food in the kitchen. Arranging the closet. Don't over whelm your self at first. One tiny project at a time.